Magical Girl Quest - The Fire That Burns

[Sinarblood]

Omake: Home is where your sister lies

You lay next to big sis, hugging her tightly while avoiding putting any pressure on her stomach, gently blowing her long hair out of your face as she snores quietly.

You glance at her face, yet again looking for any trace signs of frowning, of injuries hidden when awake revealed in sleep.

It isn't there. You look at her stomach, unharmed. You frown.

If it wasn't for the fact that she was brought in sleeping, if it wasn't for Morgan telling you what really happened, you'd know nothing.

For all that magic is the absolute best thing ever (besides big sis, of course), you don't like not knowing.

She shifts in her sleep, holding you tighter.

You wonder if the other monsters she fought were as easy as she claimed.

You look towards Morgan, sitting on a chair close by, her usual smile when she looks at the two of you absent, her face still puffy from tears that looked like they could return at any moment.

You had cried too, but you stopped. It wouldn't do for sis to see that.

You fall asleep in her embrace.

You awake with a squawk as Morgan spreads herself over you to hug big sis. You groggily shift as you adjust to being awake, moving to gain maximum snuggles from your now awake sister after Morgan pushes her back down from her attempt to get up. Heh. If the situation wasn't what it was, you'd make a joke there.

Finally shaking yourself awake enough to hear words, you catch the tail end of a thanks, as Sis takes a sip of soup that you can only guess came from Morgan.

Sis' smile almost makes you forget how close she came to death.

You shuffle your way onto her lap, putting your head under her chin, as you hear Morgan chuckle behind you.

"Una, I'm here."

Words of comfort, that would normally make you feel the safest in the world coming from her, but today it isn't good enough. You hug her tighter and nod in acknowledgement, before saying with all the force you could currently muster, "You were hurt."

An understatement, but the words you wanted to say you couldn't bring forth. She sighs, as she rubs her hand through your hair, "I was, but I got better."

Her voice was gentle, soothing, and all too dismissive. It was that dismissiveness that gave you the strength to push forward, as you hug her tighter, "You almost died."

You feel her attention move away from you and settle on Morgan. You can't see her face, but the sudden tension in her body can't be hidden from you. You can tell what she realized, you can tell that she isn't happy about it.

You can tell that she didn't want to burden you. That she loved you, that she would protect you from anything.

So why does it feel like it burns, even as she gently brushes your hair with her fingers?

You focus on remaining calm, on not crying, on not being weak on not being helpless.

Eventually you calm down, and you feel her hands move you so that you are no longer leaning into her, but looking at her in the eyes, "I came back, just like I promised."

You frown at the missing intent behind the letter of the promise, but nod anyway. Sis always keeps her promises.

If only you had the courage to get her to make the right ones.

You move to lie down on her lap, not content, but not having the will to push the conversation forward, to take the final step. You listen to their conversation.

"Did anything else happen when I was gone?" You let her voice centre you.

Morgan shakes her head, "Not really, your team made it back fine, not even any injuries because of you." You're not surprised, Morgan looks like she wants to say more on the subject, like she'll pass the bridge you'd never dare to, but doesn't, "We are keeping the place on watch, but it's been quiet so far. Apart from that, Daiyu has started training so she can go out, she'll make an excellent sparring partner from what I've seen. She knows how to handle a sword." You slightly perk up, your gaze zeroing in on Morgan, as images and scenes from manga popping up in your head, "She already knew how to use a sword. Well, not the sword and shield she has, but it's apparently close enough. The only spell she's shown us so far is a barrier, but it's very strong. Her armour is pretty tough, but she's not as fast as you are. Honestly, it looks like the two of you were supposed to have appeared together in a Duo, but didn't for whatever reason."

You slightly smile at the fact that Sis is now part of a magical girl team, the other girl isn't as awesome as Sis, but perhaps together they'd be strong enough for Sis to not be hurt anymore.

You look up at sis, her forehead scrunching up,"huh, that's... Yeah." she nods. "I should spar with her properly."

Luckily Morgan is on top of things as she glares at her, "not today you aren't. You are going to stay in bed and rest."

Sis doesn't respond to that. Normally she'd never just lay and rest a day when there are things to do, and she would fight against it. Today she doesn't, and it gives you comfort.

There is a way even now to tell if she is hurting after all.

 

[Mellithae]

Negaverse Omake

It begins with a wind sweeping in from the North. The wind is hot, and would seem almost sick, were you paying any attention to it. Would that you had.

Next is the fire, and screams in the distance. You walk out of the building to investigate the commotion, trying to stay out of the reacting people. People are rushing every which way - many fleeing, but a few trying to help.

Then the monster arrives.

There is a blast of flames and smoke, then it bursts through a nearby building, the fragments crushing several people. The beast is indistinct in the smoke, but you glimpse quills the size of fence posts and a snake-like tongue flicking out of a reptilian maw. You stare for a moment, in shock and awe, then turn to your side as you hear a pained gasp. Your stepmother's face is contorted in pain, and she has stumbled onto one knee. You look down. A piece of the shrapnel has impaled itself through her leg, already smoldering with unnatural fire.

"Run," she gasps, even as the embers greedily spread along her clothes, "Sabina, listen to me! You can't help me, just run! Please run..."

You freeze briefly, struggling with the impulse to do something else, anything else, then turn and flee.

You do not dare look back, even as you hear her begin screaming. You do not want to watch her succumb to the flames, nor watch as her screams draw it's attention away from you.

A woman stumbles by you, coughing and delirious in the smoke. You don't help her, barely even consider it, as you rush past her. You see a man running just ahead of you, carrying a toddler. You hear a sickening crunch as the beast steps on the smoke-addled woman. The man's head turns over his shoulder at the sound, and his look of horror is all you need to know. You duck sideways and run between the burning buildings, desperately attempting to block out the horrifying sounds as flame erupts behind you. You keep running forthe dubious safety of the countryside.

It takes a few seconds before it bursts through the buildings behind you, perhaps distracted by someone's sacrifice. A man - the local sheriff - shout's something, and you divert your path to the other side of the road, running back towards the village. He lifts his gun and fires again and again. It's not nearly enough. You hear a rush of sound, and turn your head just in time to see it devour him, gun and all. The flames leap the street before you, and you turn. There's nowhere left to run.

You turn to face your end, morbidly wondering how your death will come, and then you feel something change. A fountain of energy spreads through you, splashing out as waves of orange light that break on the land around you and carry the monster away.

"I WILL CUT YOU DOWN! I AM MAGICAL GIRL ENDLESS SOUL!"

Your cloths are different, but you barely pay that any attention, concentrating instead on the feel of the blade in your hand. It feels more like you than your body does, the waves prepared to leap from it if you but strike.

A monstrous hiss shakes the air from outside the cloud of ash around you, drowning out even the screams and the crackling of the fires. You turn towards it, and see a wall of fire rushing towards you.

Then a rush of grey smashes into the wall, and the flame splits around it.

(Fire Breath: +1200 Base Damage, +29 Dice, -200 Blind Shot = 1029 Total Damage

Primordia Intercept!

Ebon Heart: +361 Base Damage, +91 Dice = 452 Total Damage

577 Damage Difference, Ebony Knight loses.

Heart of Steel: 75% Reduction.

144 Final End Damage

Ebon Knight: +782 Base Resilience, +88 Dice, -200 Shielding Another, -3000 Completely Exhausted Unrelenting = 670 Total Reduction.

Ebon Knight: 2295 - 0 = 2295)

The object was a girl, wearing armor and carrying a large blade. You swing, sending a wave of orange light cutting through the cloud. It parts the cloud, and you see the whole beast for the first time. It looks rather like a vast armadillo with the quills of a porcupine and reptilian extremities.

As you pause, debating how to respond, there is a booming shockwave. The thing rushes away --

It isn't nearly enough.

(Juggernaut Wave: +61,200 Base Damage, +177 Dice, +208 Spell Boost, -15,396 Alpha and Omega = 46,189 Total Damage

Peluda: +1700 Base Resilience, +158 Dice, +4000 Overwhelming Speed, +20,000 Invulnerable Body = 24,335 Total Reduction

21854 Total End Damage

Peluda: 21,000 - 21,854 = -854)

Something hits the ground and there is a flash, the air imploding from the force as the ground lurches. The impact flattens the monster and just keeps going, enormous sections of the ground literally lifting into the air, an entire street pointed into the air as the world shakes and the ground starts splitting.

After the tremors cease and the ground is mercifully still, another girl landing beside you in a strange costume of unrealistic purplish armor.

The ground begins to shake again, and the newcomer grabs you, the grey girl following behind you as you rocket upwards.

"What the fuck?" you yell, "put me down!"

The shakes don't last long, the ground settling in only a handful of minutes of squirming and yells. The girl shakes you, "Stop that and be quiet," she says in English. You close your mouth with a snap, nervously looking between her and the enormous crater that had been the monster.

It had been outside of the village proper, but the giant crater was easily sixty meters deep and well over a one hundred and fifty wide. If you had seen it in any other circumstance, you would say it must have been a meteor. What would that do to me? You shiver, pushing your mind away from that train of thought.

You settle on the ground, promptly collapsing on your ass, staring about dazedly. The girls move about, interacting quietly in the background as you examine the destruction of your home. The purplish girl kneels beside you, and you slowly turn your head to look as she rests a hand on your shoulder. You stare at her a moment, then turn back to the decimated village around you, focusing on a charred corpse a few meters away.

The girl shakes your shoulder slightly, until you look again. "Hey, it's alright, it's safe now."

You stare blankly, then slowly respond in the same English. "S-safe? It's safe?"

She nods, moving her hand on your shoulder, mildly comfortingly. "Yes, I killed it."

You slowly nod, then collapse.

/LINE BREAK\

When you awake, you throw off the sheets and look around in a panic, your transformation flickering along your skin as you hyperventilate. The girl from yesterday enters, pauses, then steps closer, holding up her hands and speaking clearly in English. "Hey, calm down, you are safe here."

You half-draw your sword, orange light flickering along it's edge, then take a step backwards, right next to the sleeping head of the sleeping grey girl. Her eyes snap open, hand racing towards the sword dangling right next to her. Her armoured hand grabs the bare edge, pulling it towards her with a rush of unstoppable strength that pulls it from the your hands with casual ease, nearly pulling you off your feet. The purple girl rushes forward, grabs you by the shoulders and pins your arms to her sides. You struggle, but she is so much stronger than you that it isn't even a contest.

After several panicky minutes, you calm down slightly, staring up at her as you fidget.

"Y-you..." you begin speaking in french, then remember she spoke english. "Let me go you shit!" You resume struggling, and again fail miserably

"Will you try and attack me?"

You struggle again, but her grip is ironclad. "Fine, I won't attack you." She looks at you, obviously skeptical, so you try to pull yourself together for your last words. "I promise."

"Uh-huh." she raises her eyebrows. "Don't do anything stupid." She lets go of you and you step back, rubbing your arms. The grey girl hands her your sword, edge still sharp despite her grip. The purple girl, slides it back into the holster

"Hey." You look back at her "What's your name?"

You pause, thinking, then decide on ____, "I am _________"

[] The Truth
[] A Lie
-[]Actual Name: write-in
[] Name: write-in
[] In the ensuing conversation, be:
-[]Friendly
-[]Cooperative
-[]Uncooperative
-[]Hostile
-[] Write-in?

+10xp Survived the Paluda
+5xp Sacrificed Passersby to the blender
+25xp Met ???
+25xp Met ???
+5xp in the lee of the fire
+15xp Like a Meteor+Witnessed the Beginning

Click to shrink...

Another spinoff of Calaciteinspector's magical girl quest?

I hope this one has fewer Gehaburns.

Also, is this girl our equivalent to Rei? Seems a little weaker numbers-wise...

Click to shrink...

Another spinoff of Calaciteinspector's magical girl quest?

I hope this one has fewer Gehaburns.

Also, is this girl our equivalent to Rei? Seems a little weaker numbers-wise...

[x] The Truth
[x] Name: Sabina Petit
[x] In the ensuing conversation, be:
-[x]Friendly

Click to shrink...

Probably not quite. We chose really early in the timeline, so she couldn't be that strong yet. On the other hand, we arent divinity this quest either, so we'll catch up slower.

What I want to know is what "Alpha and Omega" is, and why it took such a huge chunk out of her damage.

Edit: @Stealthy has rated this post insightful. :O

Click to shrink...

What I want to know is what "Alpha and Omega" is, and why it took such a huge chunk out of her damage.

Edit: @Stealthy has rated this post insightful. :O

Click to shrink...

It's pretty clearly percentage based. 25% less damage. I don't think the Peluda was the source of it, though. She was flying, and it didn't affect Ebony Knight's intercept's damage.

Also, Stealthy is probably just trolling you. Authors do that.

Click to shrink...

What's with the invisitext in the XP section? Anyone know what it means?

Click to shrink...

[x] The Truth
[x] Name: Sabina Petit
[x] In the ensuing conversation, be:
-[x]Try to get them to explain what's going on before deciding.

As much as i want to be on her side, we need information, and we might've drawn the wrong conclusions.

Click to shrink...

What's with the invisitext in the XP section? Anyone know what it means?

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure, but it could be a reference to our point in the timeline. It could also be a hidden aspect of the scene. Maybe the same thing that created the "Alpha and Omega" effect? Anyone have a hypothesis for what it could be?

Click to shrink...

[x] A Lie
-[x]Actual Name: Rukia Whitt
[x] Name: Sabina Petit
[x] In the ensuing conversation, be:
-[x]Uncooperative

We don't know anything about them and they are grappling us at the slightest provocation. Let's not give them any info till we figure out what's going on, kay?

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure, but it could be a reference to our point in the timeline. It could also be a hidden aspect of the scene. Maybe the same thing that created the "Alpha and Omega" effect? Anyone have a hypothesis for what it could be?

Click to shrink...

I think its too early to tell. Could be anything from a passing divine being to magic having not finished arriving yet. It could even be an unusual defensive ability of the Peluda's, though it's a little dramatically titled for what's probably a one-off enemy.

Also, anyone think this is a way scarier first monster than nepgear's? That resilience score was horrifying.

Click to shrink...

I think its too early to tell. Could be anything from a passing divine being to magic having not finished arriving yet. It could even be an unusual defensive ability of the Peluda's, though it's a little dramatically titled for what's probably a one-off enemy.

Also, anyone think this is a way scarier first monster than nepgear's? That resilience score was horrifying.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. The thing was way scarier. On the other hand, there was no vote for our actions during the fight. Hopefully that kind of thing won't be an ordinary opponent for a while...but then again, we did choose fresh meat...

Click to shrink...

AN: If anyone cares about my awful negaverse names, tell me and i'll change it.

 

[Naron]

I was bored, so have some fluff.​

Omake: Best Little Sister Is (Not) Snooping​

Late afternoon... lunch had gone by and Una was bored-bored-bored!
The day had been bad enough, with Cerys being gone when she woke up and staying away for hours. Hours!

Of course she came back, she promised she would... but Una was still worrying. Ever since Morgan told her what... what... ah, no thinking about bad things. Una was worried was the point.
But she was a good girl for her sister and did her work, and helped Morgan cooking... and she helped Cuifen walk, that was nice.

She got along really well with Daiyu's big sister... Cuifen understood how it felt to have your sister get into danger and not able to do anything... and Cuifen was a nice big sister, too. So while their big and little sister went off to do things, they made do with each other and got along. She even got the older girl to teach her a little Chinese when Morgan was not looking!

Right now, she just sat over her finished work and thought about doodling a little. Maybe draw a lion and give it to Cerys? Cerys liked cats.
Or she could go doodle on Daiyu's face? The older girl was still sleeping after Cerys dropped her off and went to talk to Karen, not even paying much attention to Una! That could not stand, so maybe punish the other girl that hogged her big sister and then demand cuddling from Cerys?

Or she could go talk to the new girl that was still sitting in the corner over there. Right, Una completely forgot about her somehow... weird, she just did her work...
Carefully, she peeked over, but the girl just stared on... at... the... couch?

Huh.

So... the weird girl was looking at their couch. There was nothing on it, just two small pillows in the same colour.
Una got up from her chair and snuck closer to the weird girl, curiousity winning out. Cerys let her stay here with her, so she must be a friend.
Morgan went out to do something and Cuifen was watching her own sister, so it was only the two of them... perfect to find out what kind of relationship the weird girl had with Cerys. Morgan and Daiyu were both good for her sister, so Una had to make sure this one was good for her, too.

Or to take measures...
Okay, she had no measures to take, but it sounded cool!

Step by step, Una snuck closer until she was right in front of the sitting girl, the younger one on all fours and curiously staring into the dilated pupils for a few moments.
"Hey!"
No response. Weird. What was so interesting about the couch?

Una pressed a hand against the weird girl's shoulder... and she flinched backwards with a loud gasp-scream or something like that, crawling back to the wall and looking at her with wide eyes.
Her breathing came hard all of a sudden and Una just looked up at her. Did she do something wrong?
"Are you okay?"
She did not scare the weird girl, did she? But... how should she? There was nothing scary about Una, she was a full two hundred percent cute!

She just continued breathing heavily, but... it got better after a few seconds and when she was done being more weird, the weird girl blinked a few times while looking at her. "Um... I'm alright."
And she sounded weird, too. What was the word for someone speaking a language not their own? That thing that Daiyu and Cuifen had, too. Only that the weird girl sounded different than them still.

Not that it mattered. The weird girl was talking -and lying badly- now, so they could get started. "Do you like couches?"
"...huh?"
The confusion was met with her usual curiousity; new people were good as long as Cerys said they were, after all. So she could ask questions. "You looked at it the whoooole time."
Now the weird girl look back to the couch, then back at Una and shook her head. "Not... really, no. Um, you are...?"

"I'm Una! Cerys is my big sister!"
She beamed up at the older girl, who blinked some more before smiling back a little bit. The rest of her face was still so scrunched, though... as if Una did not notice. Something was still wrong, Cerys looked like that sometimes when she left to do work for bad people.
"Oh, right. I'm Sabina... I guess I'm your sister's... student?"

...
That made no sense. Sabina was at least as old as Cerys... and Cerys was slacking on her schoolwork, so what was she teaching her?
The weird girl was still looking so out of it, maybe she mixed something up? Una just shrugged it off and tilted her head before crawling closer to her. "What is Cerys teaching you?"

She did not go away any more, so she was okay with Una getting closer. Just a little more while the girl was looking down at her hands for a moment.
When she looked back up, she blinked again at the little face right in front of her. Come on, answer me!
Una was almost pouting already, she wanted to know!
"Um... magic, I guess?"

Magic?
Wait... magic?
Cerys went out to do Magical Girl stuff, then came back a lot later with a new girl about her age... and teaching her magic...

Click.

Now it was for Una to blink up at the older girl. Sabina watched with visible confusion how her smile got bigger and bigger before she jumped up and almost onto her lap. "You're a Magical Girl, too!"
Sabina almost eeped from the sudden nine-year-old holding onto her shoulders, but nodded anyway. "Yes, I guess..."


Had anyone else be in the room, they would have thrown her a pitying glance.
Like this however, no one was there to realise and warn Sabina that Una was curious once more. She wanted to ask about something else before, but this was more interesting. A lot more. She could ask Cerys the other stuff later.

 

[random_npc]

[X] Destroy the evil ones, keep the rest
[x] write in:

you stare at the endless vault of horrors before you. Part of you wants to simply let loose, to eradicate such wrongness from the world. Then you remember a demon terring through the town, and the legions of such horrors behind it.

"So, some of this stuff is like the one ring right?" Karn nods and you run your tong over suddenly dry lips. "but the rest of it is just what, magical nukes?" karrens voice is hard to place when she respondes "the safest of them would be closer to a dirty bomb." You wonder if this is what oppenheimer felt like, and for an instant you deeply resent that Karen passed this choice to you. But in the end, humanities only had one answer to this sort of question haven't they?
"mankind's been here before. Holding something new and immensely destructive debating weather or not to use it. I wouldn't trust anything with it's own agenda, but the stuff that doesn't have an opinion on how it's used? As far as I can tell that stuffs no different than what mankinds already stockpiled."

You turn to Karen "You want my advice? throw the one ring into mount doom, but the nukes are nothing new."

Spoiler: author commentary

I feel that we should elaborate our point here. since we are pointing out a nuance Karen seemed to miss, so we could be clear to communicate exactly what that nuance is.

 

[Naron]

Well, we surely got too little Una recently. So have some more! This time with an extra helping of Cuifen.

Omake: Meet Cute​

With Daiyu out and nothing to do after sorting in what few belongings they had, Cuifen just... sat. She could still feel her foot burning and prickling at times; phantom pain, was that what it was called?

The young woman allowed herself a sigh and leaned back into the couch; it was nice, soft and yet firm. Not like that other thing they had in France.
Not that what they gave them there was bad, but... the Clocktower was different. All those people were different.

Mages. Magic... she just arrived yesterday, it was still hard to believe. When this other girl arrived and her sister became so excited, Cuifen had been fearing for the worst; that someone would take advantage of Daiyu.

They did not, though. The other woman was... very accomodating. She was up front with them, did not urge them to do anything... it was nice, in a way. Cuifen was not happy that her sister would see battle again after they barely managed to escape their home country, but she acknowledged that they could have met worse people.

She did not look down when another bout of throbbing surged through the stump; that was a mistake Cuifen learned to avoid making. It only hurt more... but Karen said they could do something about this.

There was still hope for her missing foot, after all.

Her mind went back to Daiyu and the mandatory training she already started, but Cuifen was interrupted by a knock on the door. She considered not answering for a moment, as she was unable to do much if it was an attacker, but then remembered she was in a safe place now.

"Come in?"

Her words came a little less loud than she liked, Cuifen's throat husky from the continued silence. She cleared it as quietly as possible while the door opened and a little head peeked inside. Blue hair and a pair of large eyes framed by it... that was the girl next door, Cerys' sibling.

What did she want this soon after noon, with her older sister out on a mission no less?

"Yes? Can I... help you?"
The words still came slowly, despite the actual use her English got these past few weeks. The little one did not seem to mind though; she slowly entered with curiousity written all over her childish face. "Morgan wants to talk to you about stuff... uh, are you free?"

The girl looked around for a moment, even though there was little to see beyond the furniture that was already in place when the Feng sisters moved in. Cuifen could not help but shake her head at the display. "I am free. Please lead... oh."

As she moved to rise from her seat, Cuifen remembered that she could not. She still forgot sometimes... walking on one foot was extremely weird and embarassing; sadly, Daiyu would not be here to help her anytime soon.

The child shuffled around and tiptoed to look over the couch, then she ran around it and moved closer to the stump. It was a little... unusual to see, but she was no Chinese... was this normal around these places?

"What happened to your foot?"

The question was most innocent and she could see no malice in the girl, but it hurt nonetheless. Cuifen did not like to think about it at all. Her muscles pulled her face into a grimace before she could stop herself and the younger one noticed in an instant.

So much for that. Cuifen sighed. "I want not talk about it."

"...oh. Okay. But you can't walk like that, right?"
She nodded quietly, hoping that the inquiries over her foot would end with that. Then she felt a pair of small hands on her side and opened her eyes; there the girl stood, ready to support her. "Here, I help you!"

...

Before Cuifen knew it, her lips tugged upwards and the knot in her throat came undone. No malice, no unfriendliness... just a little girl trying to help. It was sweet.
Remembering when Daiyu was that age, the young woman gently patted the child's head and started propping herself up. "Thank you."

The girl carefully snaked an arm around her waist and steadied her with... pretty experienced movements. She was quite a bit smaller than Cuifen, even though the older one was by no means a tall woman.
"You know what you do, yes?"

They looked at each other as they tried to find a center of balance together, straightening out while the child blinked up at her. "I had to help Cerys a few times when she got home, so I learned a bit. You're about her size and I grew some more, so it works!"

So upbeat... but the first part concerned Cuifen a bit; what kind of thing was Daiyu's partner doing that brought her home in a state where she needed support?
It was tempting to ask, but they barely knew each other. Trying to get information about the other woman out of her little sister was not exactly proper.

By now they managed to find some form of balance and started to sway over to the door; it was slow going, but Cuifen did not mind in-between hops. The small frame steadying her was warm and friendly. It really was little different from Daiyu, even though her own sister had long since grown taller than Cuifen was.

Still, she was curious and there was probably no better source to learn about Cerys. If this girl was to stay by Daiyu's side, Cuifen wanted to make sure she could trust her.
However, there was one other thing that bothered her a little.
"You're... pretty nice to someone you don't... know."

The girl was friendly, yes. But she could not know that Cuifen had no bad intentions; even with a missing foot, that was no guarantee... maybe it was because she was still a child or more optimistic, but...
"Cerys let you come over yesterday, so it's fine."

"Uh... huh?"
The girl did not even bother looking at her sternly or anything like that; she just made another step and started to smile brighter. "When Cerys says you are okay, then you are."

Such trust...
It was heartwarming to hear the little one talk like this. Children rarely lied, so this kind of trust might be her first tip on what was going on in the other woman's head. Then again... huh... oh. She never really caught the girl's name.

It was a little embarassing to ask now of all times... and thankfully, the child spared her from having to: "Oh, what's your name? I'm Una!"
Una it was, right; she heard the name the previous evening, but was still too busy adjusting to register it. The Chinese smiled again and squeezed the shoulder she was holding onto. "...Pleasure to meet you, Una. I'm Cuifen."

"Huh... ku...Cu..."
She chuckled at the attempt to pronounce her name and repeated it a few times until the girl got it right. This was as much as they managed to do before reaching the other room; Morgan was already there, waiting for them with a few papers strewn around the table.

She looked up when the two entered, her eyes widening at the sight before she shuffled to her feet. "Oh cr-crumbs, sorry. I completely forgot about that..."
"It's okay, Morgan! I got this!"

Una waved the older woman off and helped Cuifen sit down at the table, then ran back to close the doors with the unpent energy of a child. She smiled fondly and shook her head at the sight, Morgan winking at her in understanding.

"A sweet girl."
"Yes, yes she is. Cerys did good in raising her."

Oh, there was another hint. And if she guessed Morgan's smile correctly, the other woman dropped it on purpose. Cuifen almost raised an eyebrow before remembering that being rude to one of her hosts was probably not a good idea. They were not close enough for that kind of thing.

"She is very... mature at her age, yes."
Even if she did not know much, Cuifen knew that Cerys was probably more of an adult than she was. They might get along well as fellow older sisters, just as Daiyu and Una would definitely get along as fellow little sisters.

"Not disagreeing here; I've never seen a girl act that responsibly at thirteen. It's a little scary, though."
What?!
Morgan quieted once Una rushed back into the room; it helped Cuifen to mask her surprise at what she just heard. Not that it quieted the internal uproar, though.

Cerys was thirteen? That made her younger than Daiyu... and with her being as tall as the older Chinese, she actually suspected her to be sixteen or older. That... how did that work? And why was it like... oh.
Her gaze fell back on Una and at least a little bit of understanding clicked into place. Cuifen knew that life was not fair... she and Daiyu had to leave their home country due to a civil war, after all. If those two girls had to leave their home as well...

Cuifen felt a new surge of respect for the other Magical Girl in her very core. At such an age, no less... that was admirable. She would have to see if Cerys was as good a person as her friends and family described her, but the young woman was optimistic now.

"Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you about those English lessons and the overall schedule. It's probably easier to have your sister train in the meantime, that saves time."
Morgan gave her an apologeptic look and tapped on the papers; timetables and other things... huh, so nothing really important.

Still, it was nice to have a resemblance of normalcy in her life again. Cuifen returned a faint smile and nodded.

Interesting times were ahead, she could tell.

 

[Naron]

More fluff is always good. I refuse to be outdone by the QM!
Also, yes, I really rolled dice on this.

Omake: Cheer Up!​

It had been an... eventful day, to say the least. Not that Cerys minded, it was actually quite nice for a change, no bad surprises and sudden vanishing for days. That was a step up.

Daiyu was doing her best to slowly coax Sabina into a conversation on the couch, with Cuifen helping out once in a while but otherwise focussing on a... a dictionary? What the...

Okay, just ignore it; Una and her had done similar things before... although mostly because there was no real alternative for getting to learn anything.

Speaking of, Una was currently lying on the ground, doodling a picture of the six of them; there were a few halfway decent attempts at proportions, but overall just a fun activity for the little one to spend her time with. Yes, it was nice to just relax for a while.

Although Morgan was still working on something. Ever diligent, with a slight frown on her face and so stiff... Cerys suppressed a sigh and slowly moved out of the older girl's peripheral vision, wondering if there was anything to make her first friend relax a little.

Thinking of it, I pretty much spent most of my time with Daiyu, didn't I?

This did not bode well... part of Morgan's glum mood might very well be her fault... now she really ought to do something about it.

But what?

After a moment, Cerys' eyes returned to her drawing sister and an idea began to form. She was unobserved and had about eighty pounds of cute little girl, always ready for mischief.
Hmmmm...

With her lips curling into a faint smile, Cerys gently formed an arrow made of ice right in front of the paper, pointing at where she stood; Una saw it the moment it formed, then followed it to look at her with curiousity.

Laughing inwardly, she put a finger over her mouth to tell her sister to keep quiet, then waved her over. Her target did not notice a thing while Una slowly got up and next to her; she wore some hat on her head today... and while it did look adorable, Cerys was not sure about the look.

Anyway, she went down so she was on ear-level with her sister, one hand keeping the hat on Una's head. "Say, do you see Morgan over there?"

Una followed her pointed finger to the quietly working girl, gaze flicking back to her sister once before she nodded. "Yes?"
Cerys felt her grin widen as she opened up the one question she needed answered: "She's not looking... do you think you can give her a surprise-tacklehug?"

The response she got was a little... unusual.

Spoiler

"..."
Una did not reply in words, she just pouted and frowned a little; her eyes never left the target, though. The Magical Girl suppressed a sigh and rolled her eyes. Right, why did she even ask?

"Stupid question, of course you can."

Spoiler

And suddenly, the smile was there; more crooked than usually, but it fit her own mischievous mood just fine. "Alright, go."

Morgan's tea was empty, so the girl would soon get up for a refill; she did that twice before over the last hour, so it would surely happen again. Not caring about any of that however, Una slowly shuffled around the room -since when were the other girls watching?- and made sure to stay out of Morgan's sight.

(Una Stealth: 65
Morgan Awareness: 16)

She did not have the slightest idea; a quick glance to the couch showed both Fengs and Sabina watching with interest, but none of them showing any drive to warn Morgan of the -not really- dreadful fate skulking towards her.

And then, she even opened the perfect opportunity for Una by getting up and stretching; the poor fool did not even turn to look if anyone was looking her way.

Una did not care; the moment Morgan was stepping away from the table, she pounced in a wide leap.

"Morgan!"
"Wuahh!"

And then she clung to the older girl, giggling and climbing higher onto her back. Morgan stumbled, but regained her balance while instinctively grabbing Una's legs and steadying her as well. "Whoa, Una? What are you-" "Cheer up, Morgan! You're great!"

Oh? That clever little thing... she figured out what Cerys was going for anyway, heh. Her little sister alright.
Morgan ruffled her hair and lets her down after a bit, then looked around; Daiyu, Cuifen and Sabina went back to their conversation, which was suspiciously vivid right now.

"You're the worst, you know that?"

Turning back brought the grinning Magical Girl to find a single raised eyebrow and a faint smile; however, Cerys took note of the more relaxed shoulders and the fact Una was still hugging Morgan's waist, then shrugged and gave a sharper smirk back. "Eh, I can live with that."

She turned at that and joined her fellow Magical Girls, leaving Morgan to the sweetest thing on Earth for now; spending some time with Una ought to help her relax; Cerys knew how well it worked for herself, after all.

The smile did not leave her face, though.

Mission accomplished.

 

[Naron]

Ye ask and ye shall recieve!

Omake: Touch the Night Sky​

"Where are we going?"

It was the fifth... no, sixth time Una asked the question now, but Cerys did not say anything. Again.
She would pout, but her sister had this smile she only showed when there was a surprise waiting for her.

Actually, seeing that smile was almost enough for Una by itself; Cerys used to smile much less, but now she was much happier. The Clocktower did good for her big sister.

The only other reaction her question brought was a faint giggle, although Daiyu hid it behind a hand; what was she doing with them, anyway? They drove in a car for a bit and now they were here, outside of London...

Although, Una decided after a moment, it did not really matter. Whatever Cerys brought her for, it was probably great; like stargazing, or camping... or... or maybe... maybe she would teach her some neat magic to surprise everyone?

After some more walking through the woods -it was more like a field with some trees, really-, Cerys stopped. She never let go of Una's hand, though; it was warm and nice, comfy... but what about the weird belts she pulled out of her bag?

"Alright, this should be far enough. Thanks for helping me, Daiyu..."
"It's nothing; you will do the same for me, after all."

The two smiled at each other before Cerys put down the bag and transformed... aww, without saying anything. Boo!

Una did not really get to frown, though; her thoughts were actually more on the fact that Daiyu got along so well with her sister. There was definitely more there and this was great; maybe even greater than Morgan, she was not sure about it yet. Daiyu was not here for that long, after all.

"See, Una... I figured we should do something fun for a change; the sky is pretty out here, so I think we should take a look."

...but they had no telescope or anything like that. Or a mat to lie on and look up. Just those belts that Cerys was clasping onto her waist and... wait. What were those for?

"What are you waiting for? Hop on."
The Magical Girl opened her arms and Una complied; she was still confused and had no idea what this was about, but if Cerys said it was okay, she trusted her. So she jumped into her sister's arms and was held tight.

Cerys shifted a little and held onto her with ease, but balancing seemed to be difficult; heh, Una knew she grew a bit. Her big sister had more trouble holding her now, not that she seemed to mind.

"Here, let me."
Then a pair of hands snaked around thair waists, clipping buckles together and fastening them against Una's back; a few more snapped around her legs and some other places on Cerys she could not see, but... no matter, she got to snuggle up to her big sister like that.

Transformed, Cerys was even warmer; like a really warm day in summer, when you just want to lie around and do nothing. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the smaller girl, one hand on her back and the other holding her head close.

It was hard not to doze off with how comfortable she felt...

"Done."
"Thank you."

She could only imagine Cerys smiling, but it was probably there nonetheless. Strong arms rocked her gently. "Are you ready for the best feeling ever?"

Huh? Best feeling ever? What did she mean? No matter what, she wanted this! "Yes!"

Then, after another moment, they moved. She could feel it, but Cerys' legs did nothing... huh... wait, why was the air rushing?

When Una finally opened her eyes, she squeaked in surprise and huddled closer against her sister.

They were in the air! Far above the trees already, rising higher through the cold air! It was great!

She squealed happily and leaned back to look, the first bout of surprise overcome by wonder while her heart started beating faster. "We're flying! Cerys, we're flying!"

Her sister chuckled, the vibrations coming through their touching chests as well; Una did not mind, she was used to the sound... and this was so great! She was flying, actually flying! There was London in the distance, all the lights... and the stars in the sky, so many and so bright...

Una squealed again when her sister turned sideways, another rush going through her when they changed direction; Cerys was now floating on her back, as if she was swimming. She could look all around and saw the ground... huh, was that Daiyu flying below them?

A trail of warm air followed after them, her sister keeping her warm while Una looked this way and that with happy giggles, pointing at interesting things she could see.

The world looked so... so different from up here!

Cerys still held on, but rolled around so now she was above her little sister; Una gazed over her shoulder and at the bright sky, trying to find the formations they found in a book that one time. Some stars were brighter, some were smaller than others... and there were so many!

"I love this! I wanna fly more!"

Cerys chuckled again and turned to hover normally, the belts slightly pushing into Una's back... not that she cared; her heart had never been beating that fast and she loved every second of it. She wanted to go higher, see more!

"Alright then, hold on!"

The moment after her arms went firmly around Cerys' waist, she squeaked again when her sister took off skywards and got to speed.

Oh please, could this night never stop?

 

[Naron]

This episode is brought to you by WTF inc.

Omake: A New Legend...?​

London was on fire and Ignition Knight left without a trace, so now there was no one able to stop the flames. Firefighters had no chance.

With time running low and so much at stake, it was now time for a new heroine to take up her weapon and find the lost knight, so that the city could be saved.

This brave heroine is Magical Girl Ignition Spark.

Spoiler: Ignition Spark

The young girl was rushing through the streets at high speed already, having left behind Ebony Knight to assist in saving people trapped in the burning buildings. No one knew where the fire had come from, but it was terrible.

She was in a hurry anyway, seeing that her big sister was the one that vanished. She had to find out where Cerys went, no matter what. That was why she was not scared to take up the sword. Fire roared in her mind, wanting to get out and join the rest of the flames, but Una stopped it. She had no time for more fire, at least not right now.

As fast as her feet carried her, the Magical Girl rushed through the streets looking for clues on where Ignition Knight might have gone; she knew her sister, Cerys would never leave like that without a fight.

Then, a moment before it hit her, Una saw the wave of magic shooting for her. She quickly bent backwards and saw it fly by right above her face, breaking the wall behind her.

"At last, Ignition Spark."

Una quickly brought up her sword and turned to look at her attacker, finding a teenager looking back at her with a faint smirk on her face and a hand resting on her cheek. Her whole pose was oozing smugness. "It was about time."

"Who are you and why do you attack me?!"

The older girl giggled menacingly at her angry question before opening her arms in a grand gesture. "Oh you sweet child, don't you know? This city now belongs to us, the Clocktower."

When the name was called, an ominous wind made the girls' capes flutter a bit before settling down again. Una repeated the name in her head a few times, noting that it sounded familiar. These people were bad news.

"So you took big sister away!"
"Heh, yeah, we did. She fell right in our trap."
"Tell me where she is, now!"

The stranger giggled some more and leaned forward, a dangerous glint starting to glow in her eyes. "And why would I, kid? I'm Morgan, the first of the Four Great Gears of the Clocktower. If you wanna have her back, you have to go beat me and all the others first."

Then she pulled back one arm and punched the air, creating another shockwave. But this time, Una was ready.

(Intercept!

Fist Wave: +5000 Base Damage, no dice = 5,000 Total Damage
Dragon Tooth: +125 Base Damage, +5000 Magic Counter, no dice = 5,125 Total Damage

Ignition Spark wins, 125 damage goes through

Gear Morgan: +500 Base Resilience, -375 Juggernaut no dice = 125 Total Damage Reduction

No damage)

With unrivalled grace, Una brought up her blade and simply cut the wave apart as if it did not exist, her magic roaring in response as fire licked out of the thin edge. A weak wave of air rushed back from where their attacks met, but it only made Morgan's cape flutter some more.

Calm blue eyes met surprised green; it did not take long for her enemy to shake it off and take another stance, though. "Not bad, you really are Cerys' sister."

"Heh, you're good, too."

Una thought about what to do for a moment; fire might work, but the city was already hit really bad. No, she had to make it with just her skill for now. Raising the weapon a little bit higher, the two girls slowly circled each other.

Huh... she was guarding this way, right?

The thought came after a moment, as Una realised that she now stood with her back to the alleyway Morgan came out of. Maybe...

"What's up, you scared?"

She offered a big grin in response to Morgan's words and shook her head. "Nuh-uh, you're just a big dummy. Bye!"
"Hey!"

And with that, she rushed off, quickly leaving her opponent behind.

"Wait! You can't just... oh, I'm in so much trouble..."
Una giggled over her victory.

-/Line Break\-​

Okay, that was easy.
But now she had to find out where the other three of those Gears were and how she could beat them. Actually, the second part should be easy; she was Ignition Spark after all, trained by Cerys herself!​

Then, Una came to notice a cloaked figure leaning against a big slab of stone in the middle of the street. With how they stood all relaxed while there was fire around them, Una knew they were suspicious.

She came to a stop right in front of the big stone that she could now feel was filled to the brim with magic. Dragon Tooth at the ready, Una carefully watched the cloaked person... but nothing happened for a while.

...

If that person did not want to talk to her, she decided, she would just talk to them. "Are you one of the Four Great Gears?"

A menacing chuckle rose from within the hood, the person shaking with laughter. "So you might think..."

Spoiler

"But it is I, Karen!"

Magic erupts as the cloak fades away and reveals another girl, but Una can tell... there is so much magic there. It hurts to just stand this close to the other girl, who grins at her and has her fists pressed to her sides.

"I don't know how you defeated Morgan, but it doesn't matter now. My other Gears are fine and the seal will hold... heh, didn't expect to meet me, the leader of the Clocktower, so early, didn't you?"

Una took a step back in fear, but then she stopped herself. No, she could not stop now; she had to find her sister and save the city.

Karen seemed to notice and her expression grew a little more smug.

Then the big stone behind her started to crack and splinter, making the woman whirl around in shock. "What?! That's impossible, you can't get out of there!"

Pieces of this puzzle started to pull themselves together and Una's eyes widened when she realised what was going on. She could feel her sister's magic oozing out of the stone now. That's where you are!

She flash-stepped past the confused Karen and brought down Dragon Tooth on the crumbling prison.

(Dragon Tooth: +125 Base Damage, no dice, x100000 Starslayer = 12,500,000 Total Damage
Sealing Stone: +5000 Base Resilience, no dice = 5,000 Total Damage Reduction

12,495,000 Total End Damage

Sealing Stone Health: 1,000,000 - 12,495,000 = -11,495,000)

And the stone burst into dust, leaving just a lone figure kneeling on the ground. Her eyes were ablaze with actinic light and her hair waved around her form as she slowly got up and began to take a battle stance as well.

"And the mind-control didn't even take effect? How the hell did you do that?!"

Ignition Knight's lips curled into a dangerous smile as she raised her own sword, Ignition Spark taking position by her side. "Simple, villain: there is nothing my fire can't burn."

Then her gaze wandered to Una and the light in her eyes died down. "Time to wake up-"

"Huh?"
The scene faded away when her eyes snapped open and a familiar pair of blue orbs hovered right above her. Cerys had her hands around Una's shoulders and shook her a few more times before letting go.

"...huh?"
Una rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and blinked up at her big sister, who flicked her nose. "Come on, sleepyhead, it's time for dinner."

"Uh... 'kay."
She blinked a few more times and took Cerys' hand before beginning to walk with her.

This was fine, too.

 

[Naron]

Well... look at that.

Interlude/Omake: A Vigilant Mother​

While Karen was busy not squeeing at the sight of an older sister teaching her younger sibling, Gaia remained a... little bit more focussed.

[JOY]​

Meaning, she squeed where people definitely could not hear her.

There was really no meaning in living as long as she did if one could not appreciate the small things. Her Knight was taking a break, after all. Her other Knight was having fun either way, which was a good thing in general. Those girls had been given the power for a reason, after all.

They deserved an honest shot.
And... Gaia had seen more in them. Much more.

Like-

[CONFUSION/MAGIC]​

Magic sparked all around the two siblings and her focus returned in an instant.

[CONFUSION]​

She could feel it, even before Cerys did. Before Karen did.
Just like with Endless Soul and a few others before... magic coalesced within the little one. Magic not coming from Gaia.

[SURPRISE]​

She heard the child call out her new name with pride. Could feel her magic surge before settling.
Gaia paused for a moment; it may as well have been eons.

[SURPRISE/ASTONISHMENT]​

Another Knight.
One of hers, yet not.

Heh.

[JOY]​

And the most adorable of the bunch to date. Maybe the most adorable she had ever seen.
Gaia caught herself and wondered, watching Karen rush off in sympathy. Even the Earth herself would have assumed that to have been her, would she not know that it was not.
​

[BEGINNING/END/CONNECTION]
[INFINITY/CREATION]
[PRIDE]​

Her Knight could not hear her, naturally.
But that did not matter much. No matter how much her initial decision had been biased by sympathy, she chose the right girl for the job. If nothing else, this one thing stood true.

Thanks to the one she chose, another Knight had arisen.

[CURIOUSITY]​

She would keep an eye on that one, just as usual.

 

[Naron]

Well... my own muse decided to speak up again. Here you go:

Omake: A Most Benevolent Mother...?​

It is eons within but a single moment. You do not understand how it works, but Mother Gaia is capable of it. Naturally, she is kind of a big deal after all, right?

You lean back into her embrace for a moment longer; if no time will pass, you can indulge a little bit, right?

Huh... indulging... time... wait. What the fuck?

"...Mo-... Gaia?"
She does not react to the word that almost slipped out, only humming in response and gently treading through your hair. It is... relaxing. Just like last time. Which is exactly your problem. Last time. "If you can keep me here for just a moment... why was it six days the last time you brought me here?"

She hums again, but you can tell she heard you from how her hands slow down a little. A light giggle escapes her, ringing clear as a bell and sounding as friendly as a chirping bird. "So you are starting to think about things more thoroughly. Looks like everything goes according to plan."

A beat.

"...what?"

Did you just hear that right?

Before you can start wondering if she really has been playing you all along, another giggle catches your attention and you are pulled back against a -still- modest chest. "Let me tell you something, my dear. I won't lie and say I will always protect you; I don't know what the future holds, after all. I won't make a promise on something silly like that, either. But... I promise you this: unless my hand is forced, I will always look benevolently upon you and those by your side."

The fingers resume their work on your head and you relax back against her, feeling the gentle smile more than you can actually see it. Despite of this, however, you can tell that she is trying to distract you. As if picking up on your realisation -fucking mind-readers- she chuckles with the whisper of rolling waves... and gives you a light slap to the back of your head. "Language."

Then she chuckles again and continues her ministrations.... you could get used to this. "Yes, I was distracting you. How about we leave it at me having a great many plans in the making? Making Karen tip her hand a little bit ultimately made you more attentive to what is going on, did it not? Aside from that, it more or less directly led to us having this conversation."

"...So you're saying... that you planned all of this? The False Vow, Annabelle, all of it?"

A soft breeze plays with your hair, feeling oh so similar to the lithe fingers combing through them at the same time. "Maybe? Ehehe, did you think I would just tell you? Such a sweetheart..."

Sleepiness comes over you again, but this time you force it away to stay alert; whether this is a test or just Mother Gaia playing around, you should try your hardest to keep up. This thought earns you another gentle stroke and a kiss to the back of your head. "You are still young, my dear; you still have much growing left to do. But for now, I think this is a good start. Don't try to get in over your head."

The hands stop one last time and you are released from her grasp. "I have a great many plans, my dear child. Who knows, maybe even me telling this was part of a plan? Or maybe not? Either way, I can assure you that right now, everything goes. Just. As. Planned."

You turn as she speaks, taking in the words with mixed feelings... confusion, relief and a tinge of distrust. But... at least she did not lie? That has to count for something. And she promised she will try her best.

Some part of you insists she is lying, but... you refuse it. This once, you refuse. Not Mother.

Then you notice how expectant she is looking at you, as if she was waiting for something. Uhh...

In the same moment, Gaia's face falls and she sighs. "...we really need to play a few rounds of 40k once we have some time. I'm sure you will love it."

"What's that?"

"..."

Somehow, you feel both disappointed with yourself and really weirded out by Gaia right now.